But there is a LOT of work that goes into making even the simplest of quilts! So, after recently being contacted by a few people wanting to learn about what is involved in quilting... and even more people coming to me with "I don't want to pay the prices most people charge for quilts so, If I buy the fabric, will you make me a quilt?" I thought I would share what the process of making a quilt actually entails by explaining what making even this super simple patchwork quilt I made for my mom as her Christmas gift involves. I do realize that non-quilters sometimes truly don't know just how much time, concentration and work goes into quilting because they really do look and are sturdy like just any other 'quilted blanket' when they have been properly crafted, so I never get upset when people ask these questions... I've just learned to say "no, thank you".....
Just so you know, my mom did not ask me to make her this quilt and has never asked for a quilt and I wasn't even sure how the quilt would be received since my family is not really into homemade gifts, much to my dismay... but she liked it so all worked out well!
Awhile back, I had made a simple reversible patchwork car quilt for my boys... I chose to do simple patchwork because I wanted it done FAST; springtime was approaching and it's easier to throw a quilt in the wash instead of having to shampoo the car carpets every time muddy paw boots jump inside. Anyhow, of all the intricate-finicky-take-forever-to-make quilts I have made, this simple one is the one my mom has fawned over every time she has helped me get the boys settled into the car after a visit. So, after about the fifteenth time of my mama reaching inside the car to feel the quilt while saying "I just love this quilt..." I finally figured out that it might make a good gift idea for her.
This is the boys car quilt I write of.....
Now, on to my mama's Quilt...
The first step in making a quilt is creating a design (or following a pattern if you prefer to do it that way) and usually designing, for me, means sitting down with graph paper and pencil crayons; since I was just winging an 'organized patchwork' it was already designed in my head. The only figuring I needed to do was sizing, so that's only took a few minutes. Basically, I just decided to make the quilt a perfect couch-nap size because I knew it would then be sure to get MUCH use; my mama loves naps!! I decided on 60"x75" because it was an easy size for using the big 5" squares look she also seemed to really like.
The second step (10 min) in making this quilt was choosing fabrics. I just picked a bunch of fabrics I had on-hand and mixed'n'matched batiks and regular cottons of different weights... patchwork is all about differences coming together so nothing has to actually match but I did want to make sure I had sort of equal piles of colour tones to work with.
 |
| I love the 'choosing fabrics' part of creating quilts! |
The third step (2.5 hrs) in making this quilt was to iron all the fabrics to prepare for the big cut!
 |
| I like to get ALL the ironing over with at once and I just lay the crisp pieces flat to cool... |
 |
| ...or hang them to cool before..... |
 |
| .....squaring each piece up for the cut! |
The fourth step (2.75 hrs) in making this quilt was to square the fabric and cut the 180 5.5" squares needed to make the quilt top. It is very important to be as precise as possible when cutting squares to avoid a wonky top that is sure to a mess when it comes to the quilting finish.
 |
| One square cut... |
 |
| ...more squares cut..... |
 |
| .....all squares cut! |
The fifth step (1.5 hrs) in making this quilt was the 'organized patchwork' part I mentioned earlier... I like to lay out the rows like this to make sure I don't end up with two of the same fabric squares too close to one another. The reason I do this is simply because I like for every quilt I make to have a tiny focal point even if it's meant to be a mish-moshy quilt; I call it the heart of the quilt but I'll show you what I mean with these next few pictures...
 |
| Non-matching partner square layout begins. |
 |
| Mostly non-matching layout finished. |
 |
| But the heart of this quilt is this set of four matching fabric squares together, but in opposing pattern directions. My mom had gone straight for this 'heart' fabric on both occasions she had been in my shop, so I figured it would be a good choice. |
The sixth step (30 min) in making this quilt was to carefully bundle up the squares in their placed order.
 |
| Each row of squares is carefully piled in order with a single pin across the top to keep strict order for my design. |
 |
| Once all the rows have been neatly piled and pinned... |
 |
| ...I then pile the rows up in their set order..... |
 |
| .....and take them over to my sewing desk! |
 |
| I use this thread for all my quilt piecing, and I do mean ALL! This thread is just fantastical... it agrees with all colours, even stark whites and blacks, it is strong for hold but just silky enough to make removal easy when screwy seams happen and it's just great to work with one constant thread instead of constantly changing. |
The Seventh step (7.5 hrs) in making this quilt was sewing the squares together into rows and ironing each seam flat and in opposite one another (row-wise) before placing them in order for their next sewing machine appearance. My greatest tip in sewing rows for quilt tops is (when pattern allows) to always sew non-stretchy sides together because it makes sewing the rows together SOOOOO much easier if the edges have a little give to work with!
 |
| I check each square as I prepare to sew, making sure I am sewing firm sides together so my seam will be along the pinned edge which is on the non-stretchy side. |
 |
| Just a clean, simple seam with a quarter-inch seam allowance, no need to back-stitch beginning and end, either. |
 |
| Then I just continue on, piece after piece for each row. |
After I finish each row, I set and iron the seams toward one side and lay them out in order. Ironing is VERY important at this stage for ease in finishing. Here is a video to explain what I mean by setting and pressing the seams (sorry I'm not the greatest videor):
 |
| All the rows are now ready for connecting into one big quilt top! |
 |
| The heart of the quilt is set just like I wanted and each row of seams has been ironed opposite of one another like in the video. |
 |
| All ready to start sewing the rows together! |
The eighth step (3.5 hrs) in making this quilt was to sew all the rows together before pressing the row seams flat to make the finished quilt top.
 |
| This is why it was so important to iron the seams opposite; now they will be easy to butt together while sewing for a tight close. |
 |
| I like to sew groups of four rows together just because it's a little easier to work with smaller sheets instead of manoeuvring the whole big shebang around the whole time... especially when ironing the seams just like with the single squares. |
 |
| The back connections before pressing (left). The right side connections after pressing (right). |
 |
| Because of the opposite direction pressing and thanks to the stretchy sides allowing for ease of allowance while sewing... every point should be a perfect one like this one where all corner points meet. |
The ninth step (3hrs) in making this quilt was to choose and piece the quilt backing fabrics. I do not like flowers... not a little bit, not AT ALL ...but my mom loves flowers so I thought that making a flowered backing for her quilt would be a win-win for both of us; YAY, a gift for me, too! See, there's a quilt shop in BC that I order most of my fabrics from because we don't have quilt shop choices locally in town and every time I order, the lady who owns the shop always throws in a few fat quarters just as a thank you for ordering from her which I always love and appreciate! She sends all kinds of patterns but since I don't like flowers I had these ones tucked away out of sight but knew they would be perfect for something... at some point..... and now they were!
Now, a lot of times the quilt backing is made all in the same fabric but I really like to make both sides of a quilt their own individual character, even if the quilt isn't meant to be reversible. If i had been preparing a single-fabric backing it probably would only have taken about an hour to prep but this one took longer with good cause.
 |
| Flowery backing fabrics ready for ironing and piecing! |
 |
| Ironing, cutting and layout for this backing were done in much the same fashion as the top squares. |
 |
| Except, I laid them in a brick-pattern instead and just cut the long edges off to make a large, even rectangle. |
A very important thing to remember in quilt planning is to make sure that both the backing and batting pieces are LARGER THAN the finished quilt top. As a quilting longarmer I can assure you that it is imperative for the backing to be at least 6" and preferably 8" larger than the top for longarm loading necessities. If you are quilting on a small machine yourself, by all means, be as tight with the backing as you want to be responsible for but a longarm machine needs enough backing to hold steady while leaving enough room to be able to properly quilt within. I stopped taking quilting requests from a couple of people just solely for never providing enough backing... it's seriously a longarmers nightmare!
 |
| Bigger backing... YAY!!! |
The tenth step (5 hrs) in making this quilt was the loading of the quilt and the actual quilting part of the quilt. I first loaded the backing onto the rollers followed by the batting and finally the top. I decided on two layers of batting because batting these days is very thin, which I think is great for art quilts but in snuggle-up quilts I like them to have a little bit of squish with a little bit of weight, so I used a layer of Hobbs Heirloom Batt (thin and warm) and a layer of Hobbs Polyester Batt (light and fluffy). I cut the batting to the same measurements of the backing for ease of quilt top fit.
 |
| Quilt is loaded and basted! |
 |
| I chose a simple circle-swirl pattern just to soften the sharp squares without adding too much frillyness. |
 |
| I love this step, when the layers merge to become a quilt is a pretty beautiful thing for me! |
The eleventh step (.5 hr) in making this quilt was to unload the quilt and trim the batting/backing even with the quilt top edges. I don't know how I forgot to take a picture of this part... but I did. I just used a long fabric ruler and rotary cutter.
The twelfth step (2 hrs) in making this quilt was to prepare the binding. I usually make a multi-colour binding but Christmas was near and I was running out of time, plus I felt a solid edge would help the patchwork stand on its own. I cut enough 2.25" fabric strips to meet the perimeter measurements and sewed them together (on the 45°) to make one long strip to go around. Then I ironed the whole long strip half-wise before sewing it on to the quilt around the whole outer edge, matching the raw edges together and leaving just enough seam allowance that the finished foldover would hide the machine stitches. Then it was a quick matter of gently ironing the binding open or hand sewing.
 |
| The prepped binding ready to be attached to the quilt. |
 |
| The binding strip machine-sewn to the quilt front... |
 |
| ...then gently pressed away from the top for easy folding over to hand-stitch in place. |
The thirteenth step (5 hrs) in making this quilt was to hand-stitch the binding down as the quilt-bind finisher!
 |
| I use the same colour for hand-stitching the binding down as I do for the piecing because the colour just blends so well with all. |
 |
| This part takes patience and a good thimble!! |
 |
| But a beautifully finished binding is worth all the work of hand-stitching tiny stitches for hours. |
 |
| I prefer the look of a thinner binding but people do wider bindings,too, it just really depends upon personal preference. |
 |
| Corner finishes are SUPER important, too! I prefer a mitred corner finish for a nice clean look. |
And after all those steps... a quilt is born! So just like boys quilt that my mama always says she loves, I hope she will also love her very own!
The very last step for me in quilting is always to wash and dry the quilt to soften and poof the quilts up. I put so much of myself into creating and bringing to being the quilts I make that I want them to be not only loved but lived in. I always feel like people are afraid to wreck a quilt that has had so much work put into it by washing that they ultimately never get to enjoy the whole meaning of what I believe a quilt is supposed to be. I have many quilts around the house and at the cabin and ALL are meant to be used. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to share, so I like it when people are visiting and feel comfortable enough to just grab a quilt and take it out to bundle up by the lake with, or by the campfire with, or to sit at the picnic table with or just to curl up inside with. Quilts get even softer with use and age, just like a lot of people do, it's a good thing. So I always do the first washing and I tell whoever I give my quilts to that it is meant to be used... if they want to use it, that is. If they hate it and want to hide it away, I'm okay with that, too because I don't give gifts with expectation, just a hope that the person will know I care!
All in all this small nap-size (60' x 75") quilt, this incredibly SIMPLE patchwork quilt, took me around 34 hours to make. I wanted to keep track of my hours on this easy quilt because I have been asked a LOT lately about why I don't sell the quilts I design and make as well as the frustrating question of "how can people ask SO MUCH when selling quilts??!"... this post is why... and this is also why I don't sell the quilts I make but instead choose to put the work into making quilts for the people and animals who mean so much to me to give as well-intended giftage. Adding up the hours of careful and focused crafting with the supplies-list prices (supplies: fabric/batting/quilting for this little quilt would have cost at least $282 alone... not even including my 34 hours of work) is what makes for hand-pieced quilts so pricey. The bigger quilts with smaller pieces can take weeks and months of concentrated work to create so there is good reason those who sell them ask for fair prices. I hope this simple quilt shows just a little of the work and love that goes into making quilts and helps explain just a little of what quilts are made of to anyone who wonders about the questions I often get in regard to quilting.
I truly LOVE quilting and I love sharing my love of quilting so I hope that this post might help explain a little of how quilts are made with anyone who might have been even just a little curious.
No comments:
Post a Comment